Lukas Vantuch Background

Lukas Vantuch was introduced to hockey by his father, a former lower-league player in Trebic, a town near Vantuch's hometown of Jihlava. Lukas was only five years old when his father took him to a practice with the entry-level team in Jihlava. The younger Vantuch laced up the skates for the first time and hit the ice eager to learn the first basics of the game.

He quickly grew fond of playing hockey and received solid support from his father, who offered valuable tips from his hockey career. At the time, Lukas was also attending tennis practices, but ultimately decided that hockey would be his primary sport.

He displayed above-average skills and a willingness to listen to the advice of coaches, which helped him emerge as one of the best players on his team. When he was ten years old and ready to play for the fourth-grade team of Jihlava under coaches Petr Hulan and Petr Vlk, Vantuch was promoted to the next age group.

Having to cope with the increased physical demands, he had more difficulty sneaking into scoring areas against the `87-born players, which prompted him to step up his off-ice workouts. While performing for the team of his own birth year, Vantuch was selected captain.

EASY HARDWARE

Vantuch worked his way up through the Jihlava system and by pee wee was known as one of the most talented players in the region. His team competed in various tournaments and the lanky kid took home several trophies from those events, either for 'Top forward' or 'Top goalscorer'. The `87-born Jihlava squad did not make it to any championship series however, so Vantuch was limited to individual awards.

When new head coach Frantisek Fexa took over coaching duties for the Jihlava eighth-grade team, Vantuch was stripped of his captaincy. However, in his final season before midget, Vantuch stepped his play, scoring at a steady pace to lead his team in scoring.

Being bigger than a majority of opposing defensemen, Vantuch could take advantage of his size and outpower the opposition, although his coordination still had a long way to go. He wasn't the most artistic skater on the team, however, his overall talent drew interest from Extraleague teams looking for a bolster their prospect depth.

BIG MIDGET

Among the several offers he received was one from Liberec which, although the most attractive, also happened to be quite a long way from his home. Vantuch accepted the offer and began to wear the blue-white colors of Liberec for the 2002-03 season.

Given generous amounts of icetime under coaches Ivo Svatos and Miroslav Dusanek, Vantuch made a smooth adjustment to the midget Extraleague. In 38 games, he registered 11 goals and 23 points (38-11-12-23, 0, 36 PIM) and filled more of a two-way role, contributing at both ends of the ice. Though willing to hit and shoot more often, his subpar skating held him back from emerging as a rare 'hit-and-run' specimen at this level.

He also made his junior Extraleague debut, appearing in just one game in which he was held scoreless.

Lukas pulled off a solid showing at the selection tournament for the Czech U16 team, including a decent performance at the main evaluation camp in the summer of 2002.

He represented his country for the first time at a three-game series against Slovakia, played in Slovakia during August of 2002. Although he would miss the next tournament, he was on the roster for all the remaining dates on the schedule, including the season's top event, the Four Nations Tournament, where he skated on a line with the Slavia Praha duo of Vladimir Sobotka and Tomas Svoboda. The unit managed to develop solid chemistry between them with Vantuch scoring two goals.

LION AMONG THE CUBS

A lack of forward depth on the Liberec midget team prevented Lukas Vantuch from being promoted to the junior team as underager in 2003-04. While many of his peers from the national team were already skating for the juniors, Vantuch was asked to lead the Liberec midgets as a captain. His experience was a valuable boost for the team, coached now by Vladimir Cermak, and he made his presence felt.

Not only more physically assertive than in the previous season, Vantuch was also able to create solid scoring chances for his linemates thanks to his crafty puckhandling skills. Although there was little for him to prove at this level, he still spent a vast majority of the season there and received a lion's share of playing time on the elite unit.

For the first time in his career, the gangly center exceeded the point-per-game plateau with 35 points in 32 games (32-16-19-35). He also racked up 75 minutes in penalties, a reflection of his upgraded aggressiveness. Once again though, his junior-team exposure was limited to one scoreless game.

Vanty, or Vanta as he is called by his friends, continued his role on the international stage with the Czech U17 team in 2003-04, featuring a debut at the Five Nations Tournament, played in Prievidza, Slovakia.

However, he didn't turn in one of his better performances (no points) and, with the coaches looking to test new players, wasn't even invited to try out for the next event, a three-game series against the U-17 Finnish Team.

HAND-ICAPPED

Under-17 head coach Bretislav Kopriva decided though to include him on the roster traveling to the 2004 Viking Cup in Camrose, Alberta. The Czechs were the only team at the event consisting of `87-born players and faced competition up to four years older. Vantuch coped quite well with the smaller ice surfaces, but still showed some reservations in his play. He registered one point before being knocked out of the quarter-final game thanks to nasty slash to the hand.

Vantuch's injured hand required surgery and the insertion of several wires to correct the situation. He missed several weeks of midget Extraleague play and was not invited to any other tournaments on the U17 docket.

By last summer, Vantuch had fully recovered and was finally promoted to the Liberec juniors. He adjusted smoothly to the junior Extraleague during exhibition games and is now skating on the club's second line, where he has meshed well with newcomer Jan Hruska from Brno and Vojtech Nemec.

PERSONAL FILES

A fan of the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche, Vantuch has been wearing the number 20 his entire career.

"I wear this number on my jersey from the very first game. I chose it at the first practice for a simple reason. When I was a little kid, I found at home a jersey which belonged to my father and it had the number 20 on the back. So I tried to emulate my father and began to play with 20 too."

"When the game is about to begin and we are gathered around our goalie, I always stand in the same place. This is the only superstition I have."

Lukas is very dedicated to resting in his free time.

"Actually, the most frequent thing I do in my spare time is just sleeping. Proper relaxation is important to me."

But Vantuch's life doesn't consist entirely of hockey and resting. Currently, he is the second year of his studies at a secondary school that focuses on the textile industry. He also enjoys playing hockeyball or tennis, sports he played actively as a youth.

As far as music is concerned, Vantuch isn't picky. "I choose my music based on my mood, but I would say that I listen to every song I can jump around to."

As for the future, Vantuch has yet to make a decision. "It will depend on whether an NHL team drafts me or not. If my potential NHL employer wants me to come over to the CHL, then I would consider this heavily."

Represented by agents Mark Stowe and Robert Spalenka, Lukas Vantuch has the potential to be picked in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, but has to display more consistency and upgrade skating skills to be considered a potential late-round pick.

Good luck!